Ahold rose 4.2 percent after agreeing to sell its 60 percent
stake in Swedish supermarket chain ICA for about $1.3 billion
dollars, close to the high end of analysts' expectations.

It was among top risers on the FTSEurofirst 300, which was
flat at 1,161.63 points at 1005 GMT, recovering from
earlier losses.

Shares in Novo Nordisk curbed gains on the index, falling 12
percent after U.S. regulators requested additional tests on the
firm's new drugs, in a move that could delay approval by up to
five years, according to analysts at Jefferies.

Rival Sanofi rallied 4.3 percent as its own
insulin drugs would not face competition from Novo Nordisk's
products.